The Baptist Digest

Setting The Tone

July 2006

Last month in this column, I made a plea for a return to servant leadership. Previously, I had made a plea for commitment to the Cooperative Program. I believe that we as Southern Baptists have made a great step forward in electing Frank Page as our new Convention president (see story on page 4).

As many of you know, a search committee has been appointed to find a replacement for Bob Reccord as president of the North American Mission Board. This committee has a historic opportunity to set the tone of Southern Baptist missions in North America for the next decade or better. What they do in these next months can move us further down the road toward a renaissance of Cooperative Program giving and servant hearted leadership.

The members of this committee are David Crump, Broken Arrow, Okla.; Bill Curtis, Florence, S.C.; Ellie Ficken, Montgomery, Ala.; Greg Faulls, Owensboro, Ky.; Barbara McCormick, Tigerville, S.C.; Michael Palmer, Salmon, Idaho; Ryan Palmer, Baltimore, Md.; and Jeff Shirley, Rockwall, Texas. The committee is chaired by our own Terry Fox, pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church, Wichita, Kansas.

I have known Terry since he moved to Wichita. I worked with him in the Heart of Kansas Southern Baptist Association while I was pastor at First Baptist Church, Mulvane, Kansas. I know that Terry is deeply committed to missions. I had the opportunity to talk with Terry after my last editorial came out. I asked him what the greatest need that his committee had. Terry shared that this committee desperately needs to be bathed in prayer throughout this process.

Most of you can probably imagine that the task assigned to Terry and this committee is a daunting one. It will require a great deal of physical, emotional, and especially spiritual strength. Undoubtedly, this committee will receive pressure from various groups within the convention. They will have to be strongly focused on following only the leadership of the Holy Spirit in this choice.

Let me encourage you to begin now praying on a regular basis for Terry and the other members of the committee. Make this a daily addition to your prayer list. Let me encourage churches to add Terry and this committee to your church prayer list during this time.

• Pray for their physical well-being. All of these folks are busy people who are sacrificing time and energy for this task.
• Pray for them to be able to maintain their family responsibilities even as they give up time with their families to serve.
• Pray for them to hear and recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit as He guides their decision.

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I thought you might like this column I read at baptistdigest.com. "Setting The Tone" Last month in this column, I made a plea for a return to servant leadership. Previously, I had made a plea for commitment to the Cooperative Program. I believe that we as Southern Baptists have made a great step forward in electing Frank Page as our new Convention president (see story on page 4). As many of you know, a search committee has been appointed to find a replacement for Bob Reccord as president of the North American Mission Board. This committee has a historic opportunity to set the tone of Southern Baptist missions in North America for the next decade or better. What they do in these next months can move us further down the road toward a renaissance of Cooperative Program giving and servant hearted leadership. You can read the rest here: http://www.baptistdigest.com/archive/column/setting_the_tone/